Visualizing Actual Flying Time

Ritchie King and Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight have created a data visualization that illustrates the discrepancies in scheduled and actual traveling time for flights throughout the United States. King and Silver analyzed delay data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, part of the Department of Transportation, on every flight by a major airline in the United States in 2014, about 6 million flights in total. Their analysis revealed that certain routes, such as Denver to Boston, typically take longer than their scheduled time, while others, such as Denver to San Diego, typically take less time than scheduled. Their analysis also found that choice of airline plays a substantial role in route performance as well. For example flights on Virgin Airlines typically take seven minutes less than scheduled, and Spirit Airlines flights, on the other end of the spectrum, typically take 11 minutes more than scheduled.

Joshua New is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation. He has a background in government affairs, policy, and communication. Prior to joining the Center for Data Innovation, Joshua graduated from American University with degrees in C.L.E.G. (Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government) and Public Communication. His research focuses on methods of promoting innovative and emerging technologies as a means of improving the economy and quality of life. Follow Joshua on Twitter @Josh_A_New.